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Davis Mounts Comeback in Third Qualifier

Veteran rider Danny Davis pulled out a clutch victory in the third halfpipe snowboarding Olympic qualifier Friday at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain. (Mammoth Mountain)

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CA (Jan. 17) – Veteran rider Danny Davis (Truckee, CA) pulled out a clutch victory in the third halfpipe snowboarding Olympic qualifier Friday at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain. His victory in the progressive, high-scoring qualifier resurrected his Olympic chances and put him in a position to meet qualification criteria with a second place or better in the fourth qualifier. Defending Olympic Champion Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) did not start the competition after he took a hard fall in Thursday’s first slopestyle qualifier. Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT) won for the women after clinching her Olympic team spot at the Copper Grand Prix in December. The athletes will compete in the fourth halfpipe Olympic qualifier Friday afternoon, which will be broadcast on NBCSN and streamed live at nbcsports.com/liveextra at 4:00 p.m. EST.

HIGHLIGHTS

Veteran rider Danny Davis (Truckee, CA) pulled out a clutch victory in the third halfpipe snowboarding Olympic qualifier Friday at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain.

His victory in the progressive, high-scoring qualifier resurrected his Olympic chances and put him in a position to meet qualification criteria with a second place or better in the fourth qualifier.

Rookie Taylor Gold (Steamboat Springs, CO) finished second, also putting him in great position to clinch a spot on the Olympic team with a podium in the fourth qualifier later in the day Friday.

The athletes will compete in the fourth halfpipe Olympic qualifier Friday afternoon, which will be broadcast on NBCSN and streamed live at nbcsports.com/liveextra at 4:00 p.m. EST.

QUOTESDanny DavisI’m snowboarding to get better at snowboarding. I’m not snowboarding to go to the Olympics this year. I’ve had a rough four years of getting hurt and this year was just about being good at snowboarding again. I’m getting there. If I can make the Olympic team that would be another accomplishment in my life I’ve yet to make, so that’d be awesome.

Switch riding has been something that for some reason doesn’t get explored in halfpipe that much. It’s just more flips and more spins with 12s and 14s. But there’s a whole other way to ride and that’s in your irregular stance.